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Topic: It will be a tale of two pitchers Sunday (Read 110 times)

when the Pittsburgh Pirates and visiting Miami Marlins close their weekend series at PNC Park.Pittsburgh right-hander Trevor Williams (12-9 http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-madison-bumgarner-jersey , 3.15 ERA) is at the top of his game, confident and looking to finish the season as one of baseball’s hottest pitchers.Miami right-hander Jeff Brigham (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will make his second major league start after nerves got the better of him in his debut.Article continues below ...Williams will make his 28th start of the season. He has allowed four runs in his past nine starts, has gone 5-2 with a 0.72 ERA in eight outings since the All-Star break, and has been the starter in eight of the Pirates’ 14 shutout wins.“I’m confident in my ability to pitch at the big league level and have success at the big league level,” Williams said. “It’s just a matter of executing pitches.”That and control are the crux of it.“It’s pitchability,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “It’s flat-out pitch execution. He’s a technician. He’s hitting spots. He’s throwing his fastball where he wants it, and he’s changing speeds. And it’s really hard to hit.”Williams hasn’t faced the Marlins this year. He went 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in two appearances (one start) in 2017.Brigham was brought up from Triple-A New Orleans on Sept. 2 and made his major league debut that day against Toronto. He lasted only three innings, giving up three runs and four hits, with four walks and two strikeouts.“I didn’t stay within myself early Juan Marichal Jersey ,” Brigham said. “It was a big day for me and definitely a good learning experience.“My tempo was a little slow and I wasn’t finishing my pitches — wasn’t trusting myself. I think that’s one of the big issues there. A lot of pitches were left up.”Brigham was a combined 10-3 with a 2.36 ERA in three minor league levels before that debut, so Miami manager Don Mattingly suspects the rookie will be better when he calms down.“Talking with (catcher) Chad (Wallach), he had never seen him all over the place like that,” Mattingly said. “So, hopefully, it’s one we get out of the way and next time out, he settles down and we get more like what we think we have. I think you can chalk that one up to (nerves).”The teams are in different places, too, even though both are looking to next season rather than the postseason.The Pirates (71-71) on Sunday will be aiming for a sweep, a sixth straight win and a chance to get back above .500. Miami (56-86) has lost eight of 11 and is in a race to avoid 100 losses.One hitch for Pittsburgh is the loss of right fielder Gregory Polanco. He left Friday’s game after an awkward slide into second.The report Saturday was that he will miss the rest of the season because of a significant bone bruise on his left knee and a left shoulder injury. Polanco leads the team with 23 homers and 81 RBIs. A potential National League playoff preview will continue at Chavez Ravine on Tuesday when the Los Angeles Dodgers (59-48) host the Milwaukee Brewers (62-47) as large home favorites at the sportsbooks.The Dodgers lost the series opener 5-2 on Monday as favorites http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-cepeda-jersey , giving the Brewers the most wins in the NL.MLB betting line: The Dodgers opened as -167 favorites (wager $167 to win $100); the total is at eight runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 3.1-3.0, Dodgers (MLB picks on every game)Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news.Why the Brewers can pay on the MLB linesMilwaukee remains one of the most underrated teams in baseball, as they have gone 6-3 since suffering through a season-worst seven-game losing streak. The Brewers ended that skid with a 4-2 home win against Los Angeles on July 21 but still lost two of three to the Dodgers right after the MLB All-Star break.The Brewers are hoping to catch the Chicago Cubs for the lead in the NL Central and wrap up an eight-game West Coast road trip with four in Los Angeles. Wade Miley (1-1, 2.01 ERA) will toe the rubber here, and he is coming off a solid start at the beginning of the trip at San Francisco, allowing two runs and six hits in five innings of an eventual 7-5 Milwaukee victory last Thursday. Why the Dodgers can pay on the MLB linesThe Dodgers are involved in an equally competitive divisional race with the Arizona Diamondbacks, so they cannot afford to lose two in a row to the Brewers. Los Angeles has dropped consecutive games only once since the end of June Gaylord Perry Jersey , and one of those losses was a 16-inning road affair a week ago at the Philadelphia Phillies.Countering Miley on the mound will be Walker Buehler (4-3, 3.92 ERA), who has pitched much better at home than on the road. The 24-year-old has gone 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA at Dodger Stadium, limiting opposing hitters to a .209 batting average there compared to 2-1 with a 5.26 ERA away from home. He has never faced Milwaukee in 20 career games. Smart betting pickLos Angeles is 10-6 in the past 16 meetings, according to the OddsShark MLB Database, but a disappointing 3-5 in the last eight after posting a 7-1 mark in the previous eight. During this recent stretch, the Brewers have beaten the Dodgers three straight times at home, and they will make it four in a row with another upset victory.MLB betting trendsMilwaukee is 4-1 in its last five games.Milwaukee is 4-1 in its last five games on the road.LA Dodgers is 2-4 in its last six games when playing Milwaukee.All MLB odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.